Cozying Up with a Mystery

Congratulations to all who put on the Mobile Literary Festival (MLF) this past weekend. It was another huge success. I arrived a bit late but the presentations that I did see were great and so informative. I have written 18 (going on 19) books now and I always need a little push to get motivated again. MLF is what I needed.

Eons ago I wrote a murder mystery and didn’t do much with it. I thought I might resurrect it and start re-editing it for possible submission to publishers but first, I wanted to see if anyone thought it was a good idea. I sent an “elevator pitch” to MLF’s Pitch War and was shocked with the glowing review the crowd and agent gave it! It was that spark that had me dusting off the old manuscript this morning to give it a look over. Here is the pitch I submitted that received high praise. What do you think? Would you read that book? (I’m opening myself up here for disaster, LOL!):

"Staffers at a wartime radio station in a bustling Southern port city watch with horror as the body of their dear friend, radio actress Samantha Starr, is wheeled down a hallway. Her arm, now pale white, dangles from the blanket covering her body; the only color is her highly polished Chen Yu Opium Dream nail polish. Her husband is accused of her murder, but the station’s foley artist, Art Foley (he will tell you the name is just a coincidence), believes an innocent man is being hung out to dry-- perhaps literally--and he sets out to prove his innocence."

The Local Gang Series

 

We all love the old Our Gang and Little Rascals shorts, right? Well, did you know that there was another series of Our Gang-like movies called, “The Local Gang”? I’m researching and writing this story for my latest book (to be released early next year), “The Pig War and Pelican Girls: 21 Extraordinary Stories from Forgotten American History.” 

The films were produced by itinerant filmmakers beginning generally around 1915 who would travel from town to town across the country to make the same film over and over again, perhaps hundreds of times, using the kids from the town they were visiting as the cast. One of the most famous of these filmmakers was Melton Barker who made the same movie, “The Kidnapper’s Foil”, countless times between 1930 and the early 1970s. Barker would come to town, hold an audition (there would be a small fee charged for the honor), a few of the kids would be selected for lead roles while the rest would be extras…HUNDREDS of extras. 

For Barker’s film, the plot was that a girl, Bette Davis (not THE Betty Davis), is kidnapped. The gang saves her and is given a reward. What do they do with the money? As with any Little Rascals shorts, they put on a show, of course. It wasn’t a scam. Barker really made the films which would be crudely edited and then shown prior to the main feature film at the town’s theater for a limited time. Many of the films have been lost to history, but some still exist. Here is a short example of one of the many versions of “The Kidnapper’s Foil.”  Warning: The film is awful, but it's history. 

Mark the Date: April 13th

 

The countdown has started. We’re closing in on the fabulous Yuri’s Day / Yuri’s Night celebration at the SeattleMuseum of Flight. Admission to Yuri's Day is free with museum admission and runs from 10am to 6pm. Yuri's Night is a 21+ event that begins at 6:30pm. 

The day is an annual celebration of space exploration held on the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin becoming the first man in space, and I have been invited to do a presentation and signing of my book, Space Oddities: ForgottenStories of Mankind’s Exploration of Space. This will be the biggest signing/presentation I have ever done and I am super excited.

There is a lot going on that day at the museum. Visit the Museum of Flight’s website for the latest schedule. If you or someone you know live out in the Seattle area, I hope you’ll come join us. I’d love to meet you! And please, pass along the word.

Here is a short video tour of this amazing museum:

The Final Episodes

 

I'm going to wrap up our look back at the Space Oddities Companion Podcast (located on Public Radio Remix) with a two-fer today. OK, I missed yesterday. :) Today it's Episode 9 and 10. Episode 9 tells the history of two iconic dolls. Well, one is a doll, the other an "action hero." First, we look at the life and times of Barbie and how she went from fashion model to astronaut to recruiting girls into science, engineering, and technology careers. We also tell the story of G.I. Joe and how he help to convince NASA to include the lunar rover in later Apollo missions.

Then we wrap things up with Episode 10. It's an odds-ends episode that ties up some loose ends.

I hope you enjoyed this replay of the Space Oddities Podcast. The book is available at you favorite local bookstore or online outlet as well as the audiobook read by Tim Dixon.

 

It's a amazing that after decades of debunking a conspiracy theory that the Apollo lunar landings were a hoax, there are many who still believe that theory. What's even more amazing is that the Russians thought about this possibility if they were the first to land on the moon and how to deal with it. That's what I talk about in Episode 8 of the Space Oddities Companion Podcast on Public Radio Remix (PRX.) The episode it titled, History if More the Product of Chaos than Conspiracy.

Episode 7

 

We're down to the final four episodes of my Space Oddities Companion Podcast on Public Radio Remix (PRX). Today it's Episode 7 today, the story of the Lunar Hilton Hotel.

Space Oddities Podcast Revisit Part 6

 

We're up to day 6 of the Space Oddities Companion Podcast revisit. It's amazing how many lawsuits NASA has faced over the years, a couple that were just plain crazy. They even filed a lawsuit against some of their own astronauts. And that's what I focus on in Episode 6: The Sue Me, Sue You Blues (with Apologies to George Harrison.) It can be heard here on Public Radio Remix (PRX.)

A Friendly Reminder

 

I wanted to remind everyone that the big Yuri's Day celebration is coming, April 13th, 2024, at the Seattle Museum of Flight. It is a day to celebrate spaceflight and the anniversary of the first man in space. And yours truly will be there!

I was honored to be asked by the museum to attend and do a presentation and book signing for my book, "Space Oddities." I'll take the stage at 3pm for the presentation which will be followed by a Q&A session and then the book signing. And for those of you who will attend the Yuri's Night party, I will be there at 6:30pm to answer more questions and talk more about spaceflight.

It's going to be fun and I hope to see you there. Click the image below to visit the Seattle Museum of Flight website for more details.

Space Oddities Podcast Redux..Continued

 

Oh, it's a rainy day here in LA (Lower Alabama), the perfect weather to cuddle up with a good...podcast. Continuing the 10-part Space Oddities book companion podcast redux, today I present Episodes 4 and 5 which appear on Public Radio Remix (PRX). Episode 4, "Lost and Found", tells the story how astronomers believe they have found the Apollo 10 lunar module, Snoopy (which never landed on the moon) still flying in space, the only LM to survive and how they want to bring it back to Earth.

Episode 5 is my absolute favorite: "Mutniks and Sputniks," a look (and listen) to the music of the late 50s/early 60s that was inspired by spaceflight. The link to Episode 5 can be found in the comments.